ROCKFORD — Rockford Memorial Hospital’s medical flight crew returned to the skies this week nearly two months after a fatal helicopter crash temporarily grounded the program.

The Regional Emergency Acute Critical Transport, or REACT, program came back online Sunday, and the helicopter took its first flight on Monday to transfer a pediatric patient from Freeport to RMH. Crew members are using a temporary aircraft — a familiar helicopter that they’ve used before when they’ve needed a temporary replacement — through Air Methods, the hospital’s aviation partner.

Dr. Robert Escarza, an RMH emergency department physician and REACT’s medical director, said crew members were a bit anxious about the flight, but they’ve been flying training flights for the past few weeks.

“As far as nerves go, they’re professionals. It’s like getting back on a bicycle for them as far as taking care of patients,” Escarza said. “I don’t think there’s any doubt that they were ready to get back in the air.”

The temporary helicopter is a Eurocopter EC135 aircraft housed on the hospital’s North Rockton Avenue campus. The permanent replacement aircraft also will be a Eurocopter EC135.

That helicopter is being painted and outfitted with new technology, including special equipment RMH needs to transport high-risk moms and babies. Officials expect it to be ready within two months.

Hospital officials have been researching ways to bring the helicopter program back online after the Dec. 10 crash that killed pilot Andy Olesen and flight nurses Jim Dillow and Karen Hollis. Their helicopter crashed in rural Lee County during a flight to pick up a critically ill patient in Mendota.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash and issued a preliminary report, the first official printed document about the incident, on Dec. 21.

Release of the NTSB’s factual report could take up to six months, and a report about probable cause could take a year.